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It didn't take much to wake the dark male though it certainly felt like he had slept forever upon the sand. Not that the charcoal male found it hard to take a kip, far from it, but it seemed with his lady at his side sleep would forever fog his mind and keep him in this perfect moment beside his crimson beauty. Her movement against his side made one eye slowly creep open though and a slow rumble of a laugh echoed from his chest. "'Bout thoiught you wern't gunna wake up then lass. wus gunna have ta give ye a right tellin' off ye canna make a promise to tha capn' and break it ya know?" His lips turned in a broad grin as he looked down at her, he was so pleased she had awoken. The night had beenlong watching her sleep in an unconcious manner, afraid that she would never wake up, afraid that he would never see those golden eyes ever again. She was awake though and her sweet sigh made him lower his nose to her rs, resting his large chin upon her forehead. "I thought ye was gone fereva thsi time lassy" He whispered "Ah'll neva let anyone do that ta ye again."

That rougish smile never faded from his face as he lay still next to Khepri, he wondered if she could move or if he would have to carry her further up the beach towards the rocks where it was safe from the sea. The sea was his mistress but he knew that she could be cruel if she was in the mood to be. "How ye feelin love? Ye look like ye ave bin shp wrecked" He smiles cheekily, he could always make light of the situation, it was the way he was.

"We best be makin' a move up tha beach lass, tha tide dun stay out fereva ya know?" He raised a dark brow his onyx like orbs watching her questioningly, silently he was asking her if she could stand though he was far from going to make her walk up the beach if she couldn't, she was a very large lioness but had no doubt that he could ferry her up to his sleeping spot. "Ye need more rest an peraps I cin bring one 'o tha pride lions to 'elp you with your cuts." He tried so hard to keep the concern out of his voice but it was difficult, looking at his deep red beauty, he could look past the fact that she looked so beddraggled but he knew she was hurting physically and that upset him. She should never be hurt, it made his blood boil, he even wished he could get the one that did this to her. Revenghad never come into 'Kotas mind before, it wasn't in his nature, but someone had hurt Khepri baddly and he wanted to pay them back in full.

Shaking these thoughts from his head with a flick of his mane his coal like eyes rested on the femme, there were more important things to worry about right now. Her safty and well being were far more important than the beast that hurt her. Something had caused her harm, he knew he could make it better.

When she stood the dark, well fed male striggled to keep his face from falling. He had hardly noticed as she lay against him how emaciated she was. Her ribs were clearly visable and every ridge of her spine peered up through her blood red fur. He wanted to ask her how she got this way, how she managed to return to him a shadow of what she used to be. He stood silently, he hadn't changed much since they had last been together, he was still a hukling black beast, and life by the sea seemed to have been treating him well, his sleek form glistening in the sunlight, the oils fromt he fish he had been eating having turned his coat to a glistening black satin. He pressed his dark form against hers, allowing her to lean against his own hefty form a smile lacing that shady maw, the pale line which graced his face stretchign slightly as he returned to his usual cheery self.

"Well tha sea, she waits fer noone lassy." He chuckles taking a slow step up the beach waiting for her to move with him. He wasn't going to leave her side and he was damned if he was going to make her walk up the beach if she didn't have to. She might be large but he knew he had the strength to help her. The mucles in his shoulders tenced as he awaited her first steps, his dark, onyx eyed gaze constantly on her. "Ay Lassy, ya sure ye can make it na?Ya know tha captn' aint averse ta a bit 'o' liftin'" He grins roguishly, he was trying as hard as he could not to just try and scoop ehr on to his back, he wanted her to allow him to do so willingly. It pained him so much to see her in agony, his heart tightened in his chest as he watched her. How could his beautiful Khepri have become this, who had done this to her? He would make sure she would get well again. He would make sure.

He knew she was in pain just by looking at her, how could she not be? Her body was so worn,s he looked exhausted, hardly the Khepri he knew when she had left him all those months before. He loved her for her tenacity at that moment, why wouldn't she let him carry her? She was such a beautiful, prideful creature, he didn't want to ask again so he pressed his body solidly against hers, encouraging her to lean upon his form to take the worst of the weight, well what little their was, from her acheing mucles.

Of course when she fell in tot he Grass the large black male followed behind her checking every inch of her fur to make sure she hadn't injured herself any more. This was far enough, she could rest here for the moment but she needed some where safe and dry, a cave or a den, some where she could rest and sleep and he could bring her food to fill that empty belly, to return her to her former glory.

"Khepri..are ye alright lass?" His brow furrowed, once his inspection was over and he was fairly happy she had not broken anything, at least withotu asking her, he voiced his question. "Ahm thinkin' I be needin ta fin' us a place ta be sleepin out 'o' tha cold. Ye won't be gettin' betta sleeping wit the sea air in ye lungs, can get mighty col' out ere 'o a night time." His broiw furrowed then and he looked down the beach, knowing that that was where the sea pride was. Could he ask their help?

The dark male was torn, he did not want to leave Khepri alone, but he could not take her all the way down the beach to the seaprides haven only to be turned away. He was confused now, what could he do? Biting his bottom lip he decided he must leave, if only for a moment to find help. He could not help Khepri alone. His dark brow furrowed and he licked his lips turning his nose to nuzzle ehr cheeks and ears lovingly.

"Khepri lass, I dun wanna leave ye, bu' I need ta go an' see tha king 'o' tha pri' e'll elp us I'm sure 'o' it bu..bu you need ta stay ere.." He trailed off, he feared the worst, that if he left her he would never see her again, if he left her that she would vanish in to the mists like she had last time. His heart was torn, they needed help, he needed to leave Khepri and find the king of the Bhari'mtoto, but in all the world, it was the last thing he wanted to do.

'kotas dark eyed brushed once againover the tattered figure and he decided that it was best to leave now and prey she held on until he returned than leave it longer. He leant down and nuzzled her ears "Ah'll be back an' I'll bring ye summit to snack on." His voice was low and a cheeky grin spread on his maw as he raced off down the beach towards the platau where the sea pride resided.

Of course on his way he paused and turened to the sea. She would need food, it would probably help her to move again if she ate something. Using thosae skills he had perfected over the long months out on the sandy beach the dark lion wasn't long in capturing a large fish.

Soggy and with he fish clenched in his jaws he turned back towards the prides home. He had to find Tamba, he knew the kindly king would help. With his tail lashing out behind him his large leaps ate up the sandy beach until his paws touched rock. With creased brow, he knew suddenly that he didn't know where the king lived, just here, some where. Shaking out his mane he cleared his throat, the easiest thing to do was to use that with which he was blessed, a stirring loud voice. "KING TAMBUZI, PLEASE SIR CAN I BE SPEAKIN WITH YE IF YE ARE HERE?" His tail flickered in the sand, the dead fish laying dormant between his fore paws. He hoped the king was here, he needed help.

The large dark male smiled when the small king slipped in to view. He sighed a slow sigh of releif. Never forgetting his manners he lowered his shaggy maned head. "Sir I be needin' ye assistance, a lady frien' o mine as come ta tha' sea an she is sick, I need some assistance.." he raised his dark eyes to Tamba a look of worry plastered on his dark features. he had never felt so afraid and for once his voice, though still thick with an accent was hardly it's usual jovial self.

"I be needin a place ta shelter 'er sir, some place to protect 'er, she be very weak.." he trialed off looking hopeful, he preyed the kind king would help him but that didn't nessecarily gurantee he would.

The dark male gave a slow nod. He understood why the king of the seas wished to meet his mate first, he had to be cautious, there were cubs about and although he wished to beg Tamba for his assistance he knew he had to at least proove Khepri was not a threat to the pride. Shaking out his dark mane, some dropletts of water spraying away from his face, drops that had stuck in his mane from fishing, he scooped up the fish and started padding back int he direction he had come.

He soon broke in to a run, his dark form hardly diffucult to follow on the sunlit pale beach, his tail flagged out behind him and he skidded to a halt before the injured red lioness, dropping the fish to the ground in a hurry. "The kings coming to see you." He whispers nuzzling her cheek gently his dark eyes closeing as he greeted his ruby red mate. "I'm sure he'll help us lassy, 'es a good lion 'e is." His voice was low and he turned slowly waiting for Tamba to arrive in the vacinity. It seemed like a life time since he had left Khepris side and he wanted to do everything he could to avoid doing it again. She needed help but he wouldn't leave her side again unless it was absolutely nessecary for him to do so.

Despite the fact that Khepri knew she wouldn't die, despite how feverently she believed that she would be fine as long as she was with Kota and here on the sands.... the female had managed to sprawl on her side under the sun in his absence and was panting heavily for it. It wasn't just the pain, it was the heat and the light-headedness.

The nuzzles from her mate managed to make Khepri's gentle eyes slowly swim back into focus so that she could see him. The fact that she was in the presence of royalty wasn't really lost on her, it was the truth of how sorely bad shape she was in that the large lioness didn't heft herself up and bow to Tamba as he stepped forward to make his presence become known to her.

Wounded as she was, the ex-firekin managed just barely to shove herself to her belly and peer at the much smaller male standing just behind 'Kota. So this was 'Kota's king was it? He seemed like he walked right from the stormy seas she'd seen further north along the coast, a stormy gray male as a king. Somehow the very thought was fitting and much more welcomed than that of a burning red king that destroyed the lives around him like the fires that destroyed the Savannah.

However she was still born on the sands and the color of her fur.....

Clearing her throat as hard as she could, Khepri scrunched up her large body from the very force of changing her accent so that she could be respectful, "I'm sorry you 'ave to see me in this.... condition, and I appologize if I've traipsed onto your lands yo'r highness." Despite how hard she tried to hide it, the thick accent she had still tinged some of her words and with how shaky her words were from fatigue it didn't help her to force it even to be respectful "So.... so 'Kota tells me tha' you're a king? Of these lands...?"

Her large claws slowly unsheathed and dug into the ground to keep her on her stomach in a respectful manner as she swayed slightly where she sat.

"So... you.... rule an entire... pride?" Khepri stammered slowly, her voice slurring heavily as her smile faltered from the pain that started shooting through her neck again as blood began flowing slowly from her wounded neck. "At least you... don' rule it... like mah las' king does. Ah 'ope?"

Khepri's accent slid back into place at last as her eyes closed and she sat still, body swaying slightly from side to side, claws the only thing keeping her from tumbling back to the ground once more. Claws and the fear that she would disgrace her love by appearing weak and being disrespctful by laying simply upon the ground before this king that Kota spoke so highly of.

The very thought of disgracing him sent a single tear sliding down her white and red cheeks to the sand beneath her paws that held her as steady as she could be. It splattered on the ground amid the drops of blood that were slowy forming a puddle as the blood in her neck flowed out harder. It was almost inconcievable how Khepri could continue to lose so much blood when she'd already lost so much.

Closing her eyes harder against the dizzyness that came Khepri cursed Kinari's name into the sky in her own head, followed by the agreeing sounds of dozens of voices that sat dormant in her head, just waiting for the opportunity to interject statements that had no meaning to her.